Is Jarrett Allen playing tonight? Latest injury update for Cavs vs. Celtics, Game 1

The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped a first-round playoff exit against the Orlando Magic despite being without their star center, Jarrett Allen, for the final three games of the series -- thanks to a masterclass performance from Donovan Mitchell. However, it will be an all-hands-on-deck effort in the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup versus the top-seeded Boston Celtics starting on Tuesday night, making his availability vital for them to have any chance of pulling off the upset.

With Cleveland only having two days between their Game 7 win over the Magic and Game 1 in Boston, it leads us to the question: Will the Cavs have Allen at their disposal when they travel to TD Garden to face the Celtics on Tuesday?

Is Jarrett Allen playing tonight? Latest injury update for Cavs vs. Celtics, Game 1

UPDATE: Allen was officially ruled out for Tuesdays game.

ORIGINAL: Allen is considered questionable for Game 1 due to a right rib contusion, per the NBA's official injury report, which is updated hourly. But footage captured by Bobby Manning of CLNS Media during Cleveland's morning shootaround ahead of the contest shows the big man sitting along the baseline while the rest of his team warms up.

Could that be a sign that Allen is still not ready to return to action? Or are the Cavs playing it safe and keeping him on ice until tip-off? He has been in and out of practice since suffering the injury last week during the stretch run of the Orlando series -- for what it's worth.

Allen was a menacing interior presence all season long for the Cavaliers, and that translated to the first four games of the postseason, where he averaged 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 67.6 from the field (trailing only Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II In that department).

The status of Allen is vital ahead of Game 1, especially considering the Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis, who is tending to a strain in his right soleus (calf) and without a clear timetable to return.